Saffron Hall, Saffron Walden
The ambitious Saffron Opera Group’s concert performance of Wagner’s opera had lost its leading man, but the orchestra proved more of a problem

Outside, interval conversation involves the intermittent roar of aircraft landing at nearby Stansted. Inside, you might enjoy a drink next to the school office and pop to the Year 10 and 11 toilets. We’re a long way from Bayreuth. But 11 years after opening, Saffron Hall – funded by philanthropy and nestled in an Essex state school – remains a gem of a 730-seat venue with a warm, bright acoustic. Its programming is ambitious, drawing big names in classical music and beyond; ticket prices generally start at under £20.

Those achievements pale in comparison to the ambitions of Saffron Opera Group, established to produce opera in the new hall. Their launch was a concert performance of Wagner’s Die Meistersinger featuring professional soloists and local instrumentalists and choral singers. Since then, the group’s programming has included a full Ring cycle. Now, for its 10th anniversary, Die Meistersinger was back, boasting bass-baritone Paul Carey Jones – fresh from acclaimed performances in Longborough’s Ring cycle – as Hans Sachs. Unfortunately, Carey Jones was unwell and unable to sing. Other singers were shuffled and Sachs was shared between young bass William Stevens (Acts 1 and 2) and old hand Andrew Greenan (Act 3), who took the role in 2014 and who warmed up as Pogner in Acts 1 and 2.